James Barber R.I.P

James Barber a.k.a “The Urban Peasant” passed away this past weekend, doing what he loved doing. According to his wife, he died of natural causes, while sitting in a chair reading a cook book and waiting on a pot of soup on the stove. What a way to go, doing what you love.

James Barber entered my life, via his cooking show,” The Urban Peasant”. I became familiar with him, during my days of not having cable. I used to watch him everyday on CBC. His show was one of the reasons that I became interested in cooking. His show, was on TV when the only cooking shows were on PBS. This was before the era of the rock star chef. One of the dishes that sticks in my mind that he created on the show and then I recreated at home was “Dirty Rice”. Here is the recipe and may you be as inspired as I was.

Quick Dirty Rice (New Orleans Style)

Yield: 4

INGREDIENTS:
Quick Dirty Rice (new Orleans Style)
2 tbsp oil
2 chicken liver or 2 duck liver
3 green onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cup cooked rice

DIRECTIONS:
Quick Dirty Rice (new Orleans Style)
Heat a saucepan over high heat, add the oil.
Add the liver and cook for 3-4 minutes, until done. Remove from pan.
To the same pan, add the green onions and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring.
In the meantime, chop the liver and return it to the pan.
Add the spices, salt and rice and cook for one more minute.